Homeschool

It’s Not Too Late to Homeschool

July 31, 2024 by Quin Leave a Comment

Eleven years ago, as the new school year loomed, we made a leap of faith and decided to homeschool our kids.

It was literally right before the school year started, after teachers had already been assigned and backpacks were purchased and filled.

Chad and I prayed together and decided that we were going all-in, at least for the next semester as a trial run.

Carter had already been “play schooling” at home since he was 3, but he was now compulsory age in our state (ages 6-16), and we needed to make an official decision.

If we could have sent him half days I maybe would have, but he’d be riding a big bus and be gone all school day, ever week day. He was advanced for his age, he had started reading at 3, and was hyper active. I worried he would get bored easily and be labeled as a troublemaker in the public school setting.

We had already experienced one of Mady’s teachers insisting she be medicated for her behavior- we didn’t.

I knew Carter would truly need more freedom to move around and frequent subject changes. We could easily do that with homeschooling.

We had spent the last 2 years using homeschool curriculum with Mady in the evenings and on weekends to try to catch her up, because she had trouble learning the way the material was being taught in school. She was a sweet girl, she just couldn’t comprehend and retain information as it was being presented, the disappointment and scolding from a couple of her teachers changed her disposition in a negative way. We had countless meetings with her teachers over the years and they did all that they could with what they had available. At the time there wasn’t official school support for dyslexia.

It just made sense to bring her home, and I have had zero regrets about it.

People asked as we got towards high school if we would send her for the last 4 years. Absolutely not, emotionally speaking homeschool was best in that season too.

The unhurried lifestyle we’ve been able to adopt as a result of homeschooling has been the biggest blessing in so many changing seasons of life.

Being able to focus on each child’s interests and cater to exactly what they need each day has helped them to grow into the amazing and unique people they were made to be.

I know homeschooling isn’t for everyone, as not everyone has the ability or desire, but if you’ve ever questioned if it’s right for your family, I encourage you to explore it.

Home educating been the greatest gift for us, offering flexibility, personalized learning, and the chance to build a strong family bond with emotionally intelligent children.

I’m telling you this because just in case God is putting this desire on your heart I want you to know that you can do it. You don’t have to do it all the way through and you don’t have to do it alone. You can start small, just the first semester, and then reevaluate how things are going at the mid-year mark. Join a co-op with other homeschool families if you want a little more support.

If a small voice in your head makes you worry about all that your children will miss out on, think about all that they will GET TO experience. Also, from a snarky but true standpoint, I have a whole host of stories I could tell you about things I’m glad my younger kids “missed out on” that my oldest had to experience in the public school system.

Homeschooling has been an incredible journey. We’ve had the privilege of watching our children grow into confident, curious individuals.

I appreciate that my children get to wake up when their little bodies are ready (usually between 5am and 7am, but sometimes someone needs to sleep until 8am and that’s okay).

We enjoy three slow nutritious meals together each day, lots of reading, and plenty of creative play time. We encourage our kids to start their own businesses and add to their savings accounts while learning valuable life skills.

This is getting long, sorry, I really just wanted to say, it’s not too late.

You can start homeschooling anytime. You don’t need the perfect curriculum, because it doesn’t exist. I suggest starting with a Bible, a few notebooks, a library card, and a positive attitude.

Time-Saving Homeschool Planner | Skylight Calendar Review W/ Discount Code

May 27, 2024 by Quin Leave a Comment

I published a video on YouTube where I shared our family’s approach to organization and homeschool planning using the Skylight Frame Calendar.

I wanted to be sure to put a link to that video here too, because you guys, it has just been THAT good for our family. I had always been a good homemaker and felt pretty on top of housework…until we had baby #5 in 2023. That sweet boy has blessed our socks off, and I have spent the last year just enjoying having him in my arms. As a result, the house, and homeschool planning, had kind of gone by the wayside.

That’s okay, friends, these seasons of life come and go. I do not at all regret that time, but I do wish I had put a better system in place earlier so we could’ve at least kept the house a little more company-ready.

If you watch the video you will discover how this sleek modern device has become an integral part of our daily routine, enhancing communication, coordinating scheduling between family members, and bringing a touch of user-friendly technology to our home.

From coordinating lessons to creating a shared family calendar, I want you to find out how the Skylight Frame has transformed our homeschool scheduling experience, fostering a more connected and efficient household.

If you too think that a Skylight Calendar Frame may benefit your home, I would love to pass along my referral code to you, where you save $20 on your order, and I get $20 as well. You can find those links below.

With Love, Quincey

Skylight Referral Link: https://skylight.refr.cc/quinceyb Discount Code: FRIEND-8CQSGN7 Their shipping is pretty quick!

Or, you can purchase through Amazon if you would rather. There is no discount code there and the price does fluctuate some there, but the shipping is extra quick. This is my affiliate link, which does not cost you any extra to use, and clicking this will take you directly to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TmctA3

Homeschooling When Mom is Busy

March 22, 2016 by Quin Leave a Comment

I’ve been in a season busy lately. Homeschooling is one of my top priorities, along with nurturing and caring for my husband and children. Knowing this, I try to be very intentional with each moment with my family.

However there are occasionally full days when I have meetings, conference calls, community obligations, and deadlines, etc.

On those days I’m glad we have pther resources we can pull in.

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I settle the kids in somewhere with non-messy art supplies and an audio book.

It seems simple, and it really is.

They’re listening and learning, quietly visiting with each other, and I’m able to focus on my task at hand with very limited distractions.

How do you keep your kiddos busy when you need to work?

Tea & Crumpets, or Whatever

March 18, 2016 by Quin Leave a Comment

It’s a Tea & crumpets kind of day. Well okay, here it’s more like water and donuts.

I just wanted to give you another visual of my favorite soapbox, which is: “Do what works for you”.

God created us each unique with our own gifts, talents, and interests.

You do you, I’ll do me. Together we’ll praise Jesus.

In short, this little saying means to me that although we are different, that doesn’t need to separate us. We can all praise Jesus for His perfect design within our lives and the gift of friendship despite diversities.

I have a wide community of homeschooling mom friends both in real life, and online. I love each of them for their uniqueness and can learn something from every one of them.

Many of my HS momma friends do a tea time with their children and I really truly admire it. It makes me smile to see the pictures they post of the read aloud they’re doing, and the fancy tea cups they’re sipping from.

I don’t beat myself up feeling envious or like I need to do better because I’m serving store bought donuts on the dishes I bought for myself at Target. I’m okay with serving water when I’m not in the mood to fix tea (yes, I do know how easy it is to make).

I have a teenager now (along with an 8yr old and a toddler), and I understand that this sort of contentment I feel has come with age and experience, and above all, from Jesus.

I’ve had to pray for God to help my heart and mind find places where I can feel satisfied and content.

It’s my prayer that each of you may also feel satisfied wherever you are, and that you’d only feel the nudge to self-reflect and change if it comes from God alone. Not from your Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest feeds, but only from Christ.

Be blessed my friends, and have a beautiful weekend!

A Toy They All LOVE: Pattern Blocks by Learning Resources

December 26, 2015 by Quin 1 Comment

We’re snowed in and enjoying our traditional post-Christmas morning. Ordinarily the kids would all be off in separate rooms happily occupied with their new toys, while Mr. Awesome and I continue trying to assemble whatever hasn’t been put together yet.

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This year though, the kids all woke up and gathered on the living room floor to play with little sister’s new pattern blocks from Learning Resources. It was such a sweet sight to see!

From ages 3-13 each of my kids are enjoying these blocks! I regret not buying them at the beginning of the school year when I was purchasing our 2015 homeschool curriculum.

I printed off some pattern block templates from PreKinders last night and laminated them front and back. Prior to this my youngest was sorting them by color into her new pots and pans for her kitchen. That kept her busy for hours yesterday!

We also ordered the set of pattern blocks that came with cards, but those haven’t arrived yet. I think they will be a New Year’s Eve present (that’s a thing, right?).

I prefer wood toys, but after reading reviews about the color coming off of the wood pattern blocks by the same makers, I decided to go with the plastic ones. The wood may have been just fine, but I didn’t want to take any chances with our beige carpet. These plastic ones have not disappointed us at all! Even my husband and I have been playing with them…. for the kids, ya know? 😉

Anyway, I just wanted to share in case you have been on the fence about these. We’re loving them!

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KonMari: All Things Books

December 9, 2015 by Quin Leave a Comment

As I told you at the end of November, I’m going to be going through the book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. You can find a link to the book at the bottom of this post.
When you’re going through this one of the first things you’re supposed to do is define your “WHY?”

Why are you wanting to tidy?

My short answer: Plain and simple; I want fewer choices so I can open more time in my day.

The slightly more detailed answer: We have so many choices here; one trip to a Super Target or a Dollar Tree and you can clearly see we aren’t hurting for options. It gives me so much mind clutter. I want to be able to think quicker, and more effectively, so I can move on to the next thing. I want my children to be able to make choices quicker. I want to clear out the physical and the mental clutter so we can enjoy more time together. I’m looking forward to spending less time cleaning up things that don’t spark joy for us, but that we merely own. When I look around, I want to see only things we genuinely LOVE and not just things that are kind of pretty or useful.

I love how the author highlights not just the why, but also the how. You can read more about that in the book.

She suggests that there are 3 things you need to remember to use her method effectively:

1. Touch everything, don’t just look at what you’re sorting, actually touch it.
2. Sort by what you want to keep, not what you want to throw. This is opposite from how I usually sort/tidy/declutter/clean
3. MOVE QUICKLY; don’t spend too much time over analyzing.
Today we are tackling the BOOKS! We’re homeschoolers, and we LOVE books. Without a doubt I know we have way too many though, and that many of them don’t spark joy. Some of them I paid way too much for and they actually spark regret, and guilt.
It isn’t about getting down to a certain number of books, but about only keeping the ones we genuinely LOVE.

My challenges:

1. I buy too many books because they’re cheap at second-hand stores.
2. I write everything off in the name of homeschooling.
3. I run an unofficial neighborhood Little Library, so I keep extra books on hand for swapping out to both boys and girls of all ages from toddlers to teens.
4. I have children of both genders, and with a fair age gap between them, so I feel like I should hang on to books from my oldest to pass onto my youngest. That may mean I’m storing so-so books for 10 years just waiting for them to be read!
5. We have books stored all around the house, so the biggest challenge right now is getting them all into one place. Bless my sweet little kiddos for being excited about doing this and hauling baskets of books to the living room for sorting!

I’ll post a very raw honest looking before and after once we’ve completed this task!

Something you should know: We just “sorted” our books this summer and I gave away easily a hundred children’s books. I didn’t use this method though, so I am curious to see if I feel differently by tackling our shelves this way.

If you’re interested in grabbing a book and joining me you can find this title on Amazon.

This post contains affiliate links. Visit my disclosure tab for more details.

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Home Art: Creating a Paint Shirt!

October 14, 2015 by Quin 2 Comments

We’ve been taking on quite a few art projects this year, since switching to Home Art Studio. We are LOVING it! The kids love it because they’re actually getting to do more art, and I love it because the materials are so easy to follow and it mostly uses things we already have at home.

As a result of these super fun projects happening almost on the daily, we needed to be sure everyone was equipped with a paint shirt!

My son graduated to needing a bigger paint shirt than Ikea has to offer (which means his little sister just got his old paint smock and has been joining us at the table- to paint with water).

For this project we used:

Puffy Paint from Ikea (MÅLA)
Dad’s old t-shirt
How to Draw Cars and Trucks and Other Vehicles Book by Dover Books
A washable marker to trace the outline.

Tips:

*Line your table with newspaper.

*Slide a piece of cardboard in the shirt, so the paint doesn’t bleed through.

If you aren’t an Amazon Addict like me and have TONS of boxes around at all times, just use a cereal box or some cardstock.

*Design what you want the shirt to look like, and draw that on with a marker first.

Include the kids, practice patience, and HAVE FUN!!!

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We absolutely LOVE the “How to Draw” series by Dover Books and own at least a dozen of their how-to books. Their coloring books are fabulous too! Best of all they are usually under $5- So they make a perfect gift, and are super affordable to add to your home library!

Here is my affiliate link to the one we used for this project. You can read all about my affiliate links through my disclosure tab- but it’s basically this: Amazon pays me a percentage of each sale that is made through clicking my links. I use that money towards homeschooling my children, running this blog, and hosting giveaways. I would never EVER post a link to a product I don’t believe in- Promise!

2015-2016 Curriculum Choices! 7th Grade, 2nd Grade, and Pre-Pre-School

September 7, 2015 by Quin Leave a Comment

2015-2016 Curriculum Choices!

The Fashionista- 7th Grade

My oldest daughter has dyslexia, which we see as such a blessing. It means she is so much more inventive
than the rest of us; she has an eye for art, and is a lover of all things that take any amount of creativity. Dyslexia
is not a curse, it is not a lack of intelligence. Dyslexia is a language processing disorder that I have studied for 4 years. I never thought it’d be something I’m so fluent in, but God has all sorts of surprises for us, doesn’t he? The Fashionista is the ‘Stop and Smell the Roses’ kind of person. She points out beauty for the rest of us to see, and appreciates landscapes, design, and like her momma, loves FOOD.

She needs directions explained clearly, but then can run off and do her own thing. Most kids are this way though, aren’t they?

For her we are using:

Math

Teaching Textbooks Level 7.
We have used Teaching Textbooks for a few years now and really REALLY
enjoy it. I can’t wait until my middle child can graduate to it (they begin at level 3). This is a computer based program with an optional workbook. For her, she prefers to use the workbook, and only uses the CD-ROM instruction when she really needs it. Buying just the workbook is considerably cheaper, so we did that last year. But this year she is getting
into more difficult operations, so we bought the CD to go with it. Luckily Teaching Textbooks has an incredible resale
value, better than any other homeschool materials I’ve ever seen. The good in that is when it’s time to sell,
but buying used for a good price is next to impossible.

Language Arts

This year we are trying something totally different, and so far it has proven to be worth the switch. These books are really inexpensive, and super thorough. I am so bummed I didn’t find these and start using them years ago!

We’re using Climbing to Good English Level 6. We chose level 6 over 7, because it focused more on composition, which is an area we needed to work on.

Pathway Readers StepBy Step

Step By Step Workbook

Working with Words Level 6, for vocabulary.

These were written for Amish Parochial Schools, and are very thorough. Be sure to get the teacher’s manuals for easy grading, and helpful teaching tips! I don’t normally think the teacher manuals are necessary, but these really are.

The pages are distraction free, which is more beneficial for
my middle child, but still great for everyone.

I bought the full set of Pathway Readers on Amazon

Spelling

All About Spelling level 4 (almost level 5). I’m not rushing this, as I am not as concerned
which level she is at, as I am more concerned that it is clicking and sticking.

I purchased every level of AAS, so I can effortlessly move
the kids onto the next level whenever they are ready, or go back and review
when we need to. I also did this because
our kiddos have such an age gap between them that I wanted to be sure we had
the right books when they needed them. This
program is not cheap, but I think a good spelling program is fundamental. I did purchase two levels first, and then
bought the rest; so don’t feel like you need to do it all at once.

Ps. This program is highly recommended for
children with dyslexia.

Science

For Science we are continuing on using Curriculum from Apologia,
because their books are laid out so nicely.
The workbooks are incredibly educational, but still fun. We also purchase the Audio CD, which I transfer
as MP3 files to my phone; this helps save my voice.

According to Iowa law, for the type if instruction we chose,
I am required to teach Science. But even
if we weren’t required to, we’d still do science, and we would still use this
very same curriculum. This year we are
going through Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day — Young Explorers Series. We may also get to Zoology 2 yet this year, since we find ourselves doing more lessons than suggested, since it is so fun!

We are also members of the Minnesota Zoo, and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Both of these places are
well worth their memberships! I can post
more about each of these later if anyone is interested.

Social Studies is
another required subject. We have a
hodgepodge of Geography/Social studies materials, games, and apps, because we
haven’t found one complete program that I feel covers it all in a way the kids
will retain.

We have lots of free reading books that fit this category,
we have workbooks, and we are using Confessions of a Homeschooler’s Road TripUSA again. I printed out her PDF’s,
hole-punched them, and made each of us our own binders (teacher and two
students). It took a ton of ink, and SO
much time, but I needed the paper form to follow along with it. Many people use just the PDFs on their computers
and that works well for them too. Do what
works for you.

Keyboarding

Keyboarding, to me, is a necessary skill. I know all the phones and tablets have
speech-to-text capabilities, but I still think formal training in keyboarding
is a good idea. We use Handwriting
without Tears’ program called Keyboarding without Tears. They only go to level 5, but it’s a great
program even as review for older kids.

There are FREE keyboarding web-sites, and we’ve used many of them. I even linked one or two of them on my homeschool resources tab at the top of this page. I still believe those are good, Keyboarding without tears is just better. So if you have the funds and are able to, check into Keyboarding Without Tears. It’s about $10/student.

We have several other materials that we use, like Daily Oral
Language books, Unit Studies on specific topics, Hands on Learning, Specific
Homeschool field trips/days to local (and not so local) places, etc. Homeschooling is really just a way of life
for us. We take each opportunity and say
“how can we learn from this” (not really, but you get it).

The Ball Player- 2nd Grade

This guy is a ball of ENERGY. He’s on turbo mode almost every minute of
every day. He does not enjoy things that
take precision or long amounts of time to complete, as he gets bored
easily. For him we focus on short blocks
of time, and doing things that really interest him. He’s the one that keeps this family moving
along and getting to places on time. We’re
grateful for his energy and enthusiasm, most of the time. J

Math:
Singapore. We’ve tried it all with this
kiddo, and we keep going back to Singapore.
Singapore is confusing to me, but he gets it, so that’s what we’re
sticking with until he is able to fully move on to Teaching Textbooks. He already enjoys doing the TT for fun.

Language Arts: We’re also doing the same
program with him as we are with The Fashionista.

He’s using:

Pathway Readers First Steps $7.00

First Steps workbook $2.55- Again, these books are SO inexpensive, but their quality and content are great.

Climbing to Good English Level 1 $5.20 (we could’ve gone to level
2, but wanted a little review first after summer break).

We’re also still
going through the First Langauge Lessons Level 2 book, because the stuff in
there is SO good! If we hadn’t found the
Pathway Readers and C2GE we would still be using the FLL full time, so don’t
count it out- it’s a great program!

Spelling: Allabout Spelling Level 2. There are also
apps with this program that are helpful, even if you aren’t’ using AAS.

Keyboarding:
Keyboarding without Tears. We started
this with him because it wasn’t much more expensive to add it to our
Handwriting without Tears book order. I’m
so glad we tried it! We discovered what
a great program it was, and chose to do it for the other kids as well. .

Handwriting: We’re
using Handwriting without Tears (you already guessed that, huh?). I’ve read lots of blogs, and heard from other
moms and teachers that say only do handwriting until they can form nice clear
letters, then stop because it’s not necessary any more. I’m not sure that I agree, so even though he
does have legible penmanship, we are still continuing on with the
handwriting. He will finish up his
second grade book soon and then move on to the cursive, which he has wanted to
try. His sister has shown him how to
write in cursive, and he’s pretty sure it’s the language Spy Kids use, so he’s
all over it! Ha!

Subjects We Do Together:

Art:

We’re trying something new in this area also. We’re using
Home Art Studio! Erica, from Confessions of a
Homeschooler recommended it through Instagram, and I happened to see it was on
sale through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
Again because of the age gap of the kids, I bought all the levels. It was actually much cheaper to do this than buy them individually. And now I won’t need to buy it again each
year, because we’ll already own it. It’s
a DVD with instruction that also includes PDF lesson plans, material lists,
etc. Home Art Studio combines art with
other subjects too, such as social studies, science, that sort of thing.

Thankful Journals:

Maybe you remember from past years or previous posts, but I have
the kids keep a “Thankful Journal”. It’s
a place they just write down what they are thankful for. For one child she could do this all day long,
for another child, it’s just short of torture.
The Fashionista is doing this in a planner book this year, to be sure
she covers all of her days. The Ball
Player is still keeping his in a spiral notebook. The baby (she needs a new
name soon!) and I are also using notebooks to document our joys. I think she’s very thankful circles and
scribbles, because she writes those each day!

Sometimes I assign how many things to write, or give them prompts
like all things ‘red’ or ‘in nature’.
Other times we put on some soft music and set a timer. Most of the time they just do their own thing
with it, and it’s really cool!

Social Studies:

We do the Road Trip USA all together, but they each have
their own workbooks and what I expect of them is different depending on their
skill level and abilities. It’s recommended for K-4th, so for my oldest this is just a starting point and we add more research, reading, and writing into her studies.

Science:

I explained this earlier, but the materials we use for this
are the Zoology 1 Textbook, Audio Book, Notebooking Journal, and JuniorNotebooking Journal. The Notebooking
Journals aren’t required and neither is the audio book, but they are working
well for us. Yes it’s way more
expensive to add the extras, but a good education is ever so important!

The Baby- pre-pre-preschool.
2 yrs.

She’s learning alongside of the big kids by listening,
taking “notes”, and just being with us. We’re
focusing on letter sounds, colors, shapes, kindness and character with
her. Whenever it’s safe or feasible she
joins in on experiments and art classes.
The amount of information she is picking up is really incredible!

Homeschooling with a baby/toddler is challenging, but not as
challenging as you’d think. My advice is give the little ones attention first,
get them set with something to do, then quickly get to the big kids.

I feel like I need to
put a disclaimer here, because each time I post our curriculum choices I get a
few messages in my inbox that I’d rather not have to deal with. So here it goes:

I’m not anti-public
school, or saying only homeschooling is the only right thing to do. We are taking it each half year at a time doing
what we feel God is telling us is best for each child individually, not as a
whole family. One year that meant we
homeschooled one child and the other was in public school. Sure I got plenty of questions and judgement
from people (even strangers!) thinking I must care more about my HS child, or
be playing favorites. But I just let
that ridiculousness roll out, just as quickly as it comes in.

I watched a cute video on Facebook where a little girl is
saying “You just worry ‘bout you. You
just worry ‘bout you-self”. I think of
that sweet little voice so often when it comes to homeschooling. We’ll do what works for us, you do what works
for you, and if we can encourage each other along the way that’s awesome. And if we can’t, let’s not get in each
other’s way.

I’m Feeling Well Prepared

June 15, 2015 by Quin 1 Comment

Today I’m cleaning the homeschool room and preparing our materials for our summer session AND the fall school year. I’m actually having FUN with this. I don’t know that I’ve ever been THIS prepared, or enjoyed the planning and prepping this much. I’m actually smiling as I page through our new workbooks. I can already pick out the parts that I think each child will especially enjoy.

Homeschooling prep was overwhelming for me at first. I knew it was what God wanted for our family, but I resisted it and was often consumed by it all.

I prayed through it, talked through it, and lived through it.

Thankfully I’ve had a few great homeschool moms and teachers to bounce ideas off of, get encouragement from, and help support us on this journey.

Maybe some of you are in the stage that I was a few years ago? I just wanted to share tidbits of advice I’ve been given, or have given to others:

“Homeschooling gets easier, better, richer, the more you do it”

“There’s no perfect curriculum, find what works and stick with it, if it isn’t working, don’t be afraid to try something else”

“Ask questions”

“Don’t focus so much on the big field trips and impressive studies, but focus on the everyday learning”

“Build their confidence and watch them grow”

I am thankful for the confidence I’ve gained, and the passion in my heart for education. I have the 2015-2016 school year just about planned out. I’ll do a post with our curricula choices like I did for our 2013-2014 school year.

Homeschooling at the Grocery Store

April 3, 2015 by Quin Leave a Comment

Hello All!
Today I wanted to share with you my Quick Tips for homeschooling at the grocery store.

Toddlers/Preschoolers:
Ask them the colors of the fruits and veggies.
Ask them to identify various foods. “Do you know what this is?” When they get it right, praise them AND say back the name of the food. If they get it wrong, still tell them the name of the food “Close, it’s actually a ____”
“This is a B-B-Banana. What letter does BANANA start with?” “What was the last sound you heard when I said the word banana?”

Elementary:
Read Labels “What brand is THIS yogurt?” “What flavor is this?”
Read Isle Labels. “What isle number is the cereal in? Cereal starts with a C-e-r-…Can you find it?”
Simple Math: “These are 4/$1. How much would one cost?”

Older Kids:
Pricing–
Have them weigh cantaloupes, melons, bananas, etc. “This cantaloupe costs 80 cents per pound. Can you weigh it and let me know how much it will cost?” If you have one that struggles with two step math facts, work with them. Bring a notebook and pencil so they can work the problems out right there in the store.
“How many pounds of meat will we need if we are serving XX people and each person eats about half of a pound?”
“I’d like 36 oz. of cereal. How many of these 18oz boxes would I need to get to equal 36oz?”
Keep these older kids reading too!
“Hey can you read the ingredient list to me on that jug of orange juice?”
“Can you check to be sure there isn’t any Red #40 in this box of crackers?”

I know there are tons of other ways to learn at the grocery store, and I am so thankful that we have a grocery store who gladly accepts our homeschoolers coming in and taking their sweet time to explore and learn. The manager has even given us an impromptu field trip to the back of the store to see the boiler system and how they heat the store!

I try to take the kids during non-peak hours, so we aren’t holding anyone up. An hour before closing is usually a pretty slow time. We avoid the hours of 4-7, because it’s just swamped then!

Do you have any Schooin’ in the Grocery Store tips to share? Post them in the comments section!

How do you keep your kiddos busy when you need to work?

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